troublesome arrangement
by Wintry Leen
Summary: Shikamaru and Temari having a marital spat: "You are underestimating me, Shikamaru, and I'm not liking it one bit." ShikaTema. Post-manga. Oneshot. #21


**A/n:** Just a little exercise for my fingers. First ShikaTema fic. For **midorichan12** on Tumblr because she's my one and only ShikaTema buddy ever. I'll see if I can upload a couple of SS oneshots in the next few days.

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><p><em>troublesome arrangement<em>

Shikamaru was sitting on their bed while watching her gather some clothes from their closet before stuffing them inside her knapsack. She then proceeded to secure her weapons and other objects that would be useful for the mission. He could see the way Temari went about the preparation. Her fluid movements and light steps to and fro were indications of her enthusiasm for the said mission. He became perceptive of the shift in her aura because he was aware of how Temari had been trying to cope with their new life together in Konoha. He knew that she had to sacrifice a lot of things in the process.

While her staying in Konoha wasn't much of an issue since the two villages were allies anyway, her staying at their home almost permanently was something he knew she had tried putting up with. To make things worse, unbeknownst to her, he himself had done his best to keep her at home and at Konoha as much as possible. Until this moment, he had been trying to keep her out of missions.

He got up and walked over to her, hoping he could still talk her out of this. But before he could even lay a hand on her shoulder, she had already rounded on him, holding a glare.

"You can't tell me otherwise," she said while folding her arms.

Shikamaru sighed and took a step forward. "Then I'll go with you. I'll talk to Naruto."

"This is my mission. I can handle this alone," she answered decidedly before returning to preparing her mission kit.

He scratched the back of his head before he began. "I'm not saying you can't handle this – "

"Really? Then why haven't I been tasked to any mission until now? If I didn't force it out of Naruto, I wouldn't know that it was your doing all along! You are underestimating me, Shikamaru, and I'm not liking it one bit," she spat.

It had been his plan all along to keep her in the dark. Ever since their marriage, he had been asking Naruto to double – even triple, if need be – the number of missions he would get in exchange for not sending Temari to any. Naruto was of course reluctant about it, reasoning that Temari, being a powerful figure in Suna would never want to be downplayed. Naruto proposed that he could just let her take D or C-rank missions, but Shikamaru still heavily disagreed to this suggestion. He explained his side, and Naruto immediately understood.

He made a move to touch her, but she slapped his hand away, daring him to fight her with his logic.

"I'm not doubting your ability, if that's what you mean," he shrugged.

"I know. But I'm still a ninja just like you! I'm not one to stay put just because...just because I'm a wife now." Her words trailed away as she avoided his gaze.

Shikamaru was ready to drop the argument for now. Having a marital spat was troublesome, but upsetting Temari was unforgivable. It also didn't help that she just touched a raw nerve. He had known all along that Temari was uncomfortable with the changes brought about by their marriage but having her confirmed his anxiety was nonetheless damaging.

He started towards the door, but Temari was quick to stop him.

"You don't have to worry about me," she spoke softly.

He shook his head. "No matter what you say, I'm going with you."

He looked into her eyes before his gaze settled on her small yet positively growing tummy. His expression softened. "You're carrying our child now."

Temari, however, took offense in this and got cross with him again.

"I just have to escort someone! This is not even a mission. You think I won't be able to protect my own child? Who do you think I am?"

He let out a frustrated sigh because clearly, Temari was missing the point. "Damn it, Temari, why do you always have to be so stubborn?

"And why do you always have to be such a coward?"

Shikamaru was visibly taken aback and was about to hide his face away from Temari. But he felt something warm touching his cheeks, and there he saw her cupping his face, willing him to look at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." She began rubbing her thumb against his skin, and as much as he would like to relish her touch, he had to pull away because Temari wasn't wrong after all. He was indeed a coward.

He looked at her and wore a thin smile before conceding his weakness. "But I am. I trust your ability to be able to protect yourself and our child. But I can't risk it, Temari. I just can't let you out of my sight."

He shook his head at himself before he held her gaze again.

"Please let me protect you and our child just this once. I know that our arrangement is...so troublesome. Forgive me for dragging you into this, but I promise you'll have all the freedom you want after you – "

Temari just tapped his cheek lightly before reaching out and pulling him down until their foreheads touched. He instinctively supported her by snaking his arm around her waist, securing her against him.

"You idiot, I don't regret getting dragged into this. I don't regret anything. But I'm sorry sometimes I just feel so useless not being sent to missions. I was always in the battlefield, you know. I guess being a wife and now a mother does take some getting used to."

She flashed him her signature grin, and he just had to close the little distance between them and kiss her softly. They stayed like that for a while before he embraced her fully and nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"Don't worry. You'll be this great, super scary mom," he whispered.

Temari just laughed and slapped his arm playfully. "You'll see I'll be a scarier wife."

Shikamaru released her and tilted her chin up. "I can't wait," he teased with a gleam in his eyes.

Temari smirked before leaning in. Of course, she was never one to back down from a challenge.

**...**

_**Fin.**_


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